Yami no Hyo
by Hakkyo
Summary: The creature waited and waited, night and day, through season and season. It snowed, it rained, it cried. And after a while, it began to forget why it was there, what it was waiting for. GrimmIchi.
1. Kinomi

Before the creature had been given a name, it had wandered the earth as a lost soul. Changing shape, prowling the streets, preying on the old and sick. This was its purpose; it was how it survived. What people called it -_demon, monster, beast_- did not bother it. The creature barely understood human speech, barely heard the screams as it fed. It was a being that fed on the souls of the ones that had killed it so many years before.

For years this creature wandered, trying to find a place that it belonged, a place where it could finally understand what life was. The being thrived on three basic functions, commands that had been ingrained into whatever brain it managed to possess; eat, sleep, survive.

It would have continued to live like this had something not interferred with it's life. No intelligence and nothing to kill the creature and said being would've went on as a mindless, soulless, lost thing feeding on unsuspecting humans. Kindness was not an emotion it understood, it did not discriminate between what was food and what was not. When it was hungry it ate. When it was tired it slept. That was how it had always been.

That would've been the creature's entire life if he had not stumbled across a strange being.

Said being was a child, although it did not know that at the time. All that ran through its small intelligence was food, prey, life. Yet something compelled the creature not to eat the quivering soul before it, and the child ran into the night. The mindless beast followed after the child, but it did not try to eat the little one. It simply observed. This is when it began to learn, to understand and comprehend the world that was settled around it. This is when it turned into _him_, a being with a gender. Male, because that is what the child was.

Slowly he began to learn. All of the humans, as he came to know, could not see him. They were oblivious when he padded between their bodies. And the ground, the ground underneath his paws was hard and hurt when he walked upon it for too long. Whenever he brushed into the wall, it tore at his fur and made him feel agitated. He could not break through it, and new deep down that there was no point in trying. His dull mind grew sharper. He began to learn human speech, following the words and sentences until he could recite them within his own head.

By watching the young human boy from before, he began to understand human ways and how all of their customs worked. He learned of the boy's family and friends, and often followed when they wandered out and about their business. The creature could sense the courage and urge to protect flowing from the small child. He wanted to be tough and keep his family safe; the creature understood that feeling.

There was a mother and a father, as well as two younger siblings. All of them were beautiful and handsome, and the strange being found himself wondering what it would be like to be part of a _family_. There was warmth, there was kindness, and most of all, there was happiness. He began to long for some sort of connection with the strange human, the one that had awoken his mind and allowed him to learn so much in such a short span of time. He wanted to get close to the boy that had no inhibitions, to be his ... friend.

His wish was granted.

It was not him that approached the boy, it was the boy that approached him. He was in his normal spot, sitting within the garden behind the child's home, watching the family through their kitchen window. The young creature trotted straight up to him and reached out, placing a tiny hand against his chest. He was surprised; never before had a being been able to see him. Forget even being able to touch.

"Your fur is soft." The sentence was followed by a bright smile.

Each word had a meaning. The creature carefully pieced it together and managed to understand what the child was trying to convey to him. And for the first time since he gained a mind, the beast spoke, making sure to pick out just the right words.

"Your hand is small." The child's smile, if possible, grew wider. "Because I'm still young! But you're really big, and you're really pretty too!" Pretty? Wasn't that what human males said to human females? "I am not a female. I chose to be a male because that is what you are." He watched the child tip his head in confusion, eyes twinkling in the setting sun. "Because I'm a boy, you're a boy?" The creature nodded.

"Well ... do you have a name?"

Name? What was that? He had never heard of such a strange concept. He was simply a monster, a beast, a creature that preyed upon humans in the darkness. He did not need a 'name.'

The creature shook his head. "I don't. What is a name?" His eyes followed the child as he went to point at one of the strange plants in the garden. He wondered what he was doing, before those twinkling eyes turned onto his body once more. "This is called a flower. It's known as a daisy, which is its name. Everything has a name, even me! Your mother never named you?"

His mother. Did he ever have a mother? The creature had asked himself this question many times before. Did he used to have a family? A mother? A father? He could not remember. Perhaps that meant that he did not, or it was not important.

"Then ... can I name you?"

He watched the child with calm eyes, trying to form an answer. But how could one answer such a question? The being had never heard such a thing be asked between two humans. Yet he was not human, and this was but a child, so perhaps that made it different. His chest expanded as he took a breath, words quiet.

"What sort of name did you have in mind, child?" The boy's eyes lit up at that. "I have a good one! I know; I'll call you-!"

"Hey! You're gonna be late for your practice! Get in here silly!" He watched the child look behind him, and he too lifted his gaze to spot the child's mother. She seemed in a hurry. The child looked back up at him with happiness written on his face. "I'll have to tell you later; I don't wanna be late! Wait here in this garden for me okay?" The creature nodded, wondering what the young one's name was. He had never known that such a thing had existed.

"Good luck on your trip, Kinomi!" The father waved to the mother. His ears perked up at the sound of the strange word. Kinomi ... The child's name. He smiled, sitting down to wait for when the boy returned. After all, he would have a name as well.

But the boy did not return.

The creature waited and waited, night and day, through season and season, but the boy, nor the mother never returned. Eventually the father and two younger siblings left as well, packing up their things and leaving in the night. Still he waited, watching as the house was torn down and built into what the humans called a shopping mall. He did not eat; he simply sat there, waiting for someone that would not come back.

After a while, he began to forget why he was there, what he was waiting for. All that managed to stick was a word, Kinomi.

_Kinomi._

_Kinomi, where are you?_

_What were you going to call me? Can I have my name yet?_

_I want to be special too._

Eventually, someone came for him too, and led him away from that spot, the place that he had sat vigil over for as long as he could remember. They taught him combat, they taught him how to lead, and over time, he forget even Kinomi's name. In this place, he was not the beast that used to be. No, he was a new demon; this one was vicious and cold-hearted. He killed when he wanted, took whatever caught his eye, and bowed to no one. His subjects became his 'family,' and he valued them above all others.

And yet ... there was still something missing.

Ki ... No, that couldn't be right. Kione ... Kiba ... Kian ... No, none of those were right. And yet, it was just on the tip of his tongue. He could practically taste it.

The lazy king was once again torn from his partially-content life. Only this being ... this being _scared _him, made him quiver in fear, want to hide in the darkest shadows. Yet he knew he could not; he had to remain strong for his family. The beast listened to the man's words, and in the end, he accepted the offer. Not because he wanted to, but because it could allow himself to protect the ones dear to him.

_Ki ..._

_Kino ..._

_Kinomi ..._

_Kinomi?_

_Yes, that was the name!_

_That's it! That was the name!_

His memories came rushing back, and the creature glared at the man smirking at him.

"From today on, we will call you Grimmjow."

But he knew that the name was not his own.

He would accept this name, but only until Kinomi named him.

After all, he had promised.

* * *

An interesting idea that I thought up. Yes I shall be continuing this. ;3 The next chapter shall be up as soon as I can write it. And before anyone asks about Kinomi ... Well, I suppose I'll leave that for speculation. Simply the prologue!

Dedicated to the beautiful WindlessHarmony, one of the greatest people I know.


	2. Grimmjow

He spent many days in that white castle, fighting and clawing his way through the creatures that sought to do harm to him and his family. The concepts were different, the deaths were not honored, and the beings did not care what happened among them. Eventually Grimmjow became aware of the thin customs that governed the large castle. At the time he knew not of his rank among them; he simply thought that he was a being sent there to hunt in safety. That was entirely wrong, and much of the place he had to explore and learn about on his own.

After a while, he learned that the ones who offered them sanctuary were powerful Shinigami, "Death Gods" as some would say, who came from a land that he did not know. The most powerful of the three was the man who had named him, Aizen Sosuke. He knew better than to venture near him, nor would he allow his family to investigate either. The creature didn't trust the powerful man, even though he had given him a new life. There was no way he could place trust in such a being. But even with that said, it wasn't even him that made Grimmjow nervous; it was the white-haired one who always seemed beside the man.

The being was known as Ichimaru Gin.

He resembled a fox, in a way, with a shifty face and his tendency to stay hidden in the shadows. It almost seemed like his duty to wander the halls and make everything uncomfortable. Most of the other beings in the white castle avoided him, keeping out of his path so as to not invoke his anger. Grimmjow had never seen Ichimaru angry, but he figured that it was something that no one wanted to be around for. So he avoided both Aizen Sosuke and Ichimaru Gin as much as he could.

There was another, a third man who shadowed them, but at the point in time, Grimmjow could care less about him. He was blind, his power was low, and the creature did not feel fear in this one's presence. He did not make him nervous like the other two did. So he simply left the man alone and swerved to avoid him when he went out to hunt.

Grimmjow began to hear new words whispered among the many creatures, things like hollow, Espada, Arrancar. He was what was called a hollow, a being that lost their way to the other side. His family were hollows as well. This explained why they had a pressing need to kill and devour souls; they were always hungry, no matter what they did.

He became aware of the "Arrancar" word soon after that. Aizen Sosuke granted many of them a new power, something that Grimmjow had been secretly searching for since he had met Kinomi. It was the ability to turn into a human.

They weren't quite human just yet, however, nor did it allow them to shift freely. It was a process, and if Grimmjow had known how much it would hurt beforehand, he might have said no. Everything about it was painful, and many of them withered on the floor as their blood flowed. Some did not survive the pain; the ones that did were rewarded.

It began as if Aizen had torn his chest open. The pain turned into fire that surged from his chest and ran along his body. His bones began to shift, cracking and turning into something new. The bone protecting his lethal body shifted and clicked away, turning to skin. Thick fur turned into long, untamed hair down his back. Legs made for running became arms, paws turned into hands, and claws turned into fingers. Something pressed against his right cheek and fused itself there, and the feral being hissed at the pain.

Despite the pain he was forced to endure, Grimmjow found it worth it. He now had something more, something that he could put to good use.

He had become a human.

The reward was a place within Aizen's army, marked for success. At first, Grimmjow spent his years with the weaker "Arrancars," as they were called, slowly fighting his way through the ranks. It seemed like a pointless, endless cycle. But eventually his efforts were rewarded once more. This is when he learned of the "Espada." They were powerful beings, able to destroy any number of lesser beings without so much as lifting an arm. But he did not fear him; they were simply a challenge to overcome.

Grimmjow fought and fought, and eventually, he managed to secure one of these spots for himself. He became known as the Sexta Espada. No longer did petty Arrancar spit on the ground he walk on, no longer was he looked down upon; he was _frightening_ now. He had powerful, experience, and the ability to use it. The new rush was amazing and he immediately fell in love with the amazing feeling.

His friends were overjoyed as well; he had found a way to keep them close to his side. "Fracciones," as the other Espada referred to them as. They were an Espada's 'tools.' Grimmjow didn't like that word, hated it in fact. His friends were his friends, not his _tools_.

Along with his friends came rivals, Espada that he either disliked or tolerated.

His least favourite of them all was the Cuarto, otherwise known as Schiffer Ulquiorra. The feral being immediately disliked him; he had more power, held a higher rank, and most of all, he was an emotionless zombie. No matter what was said or what happened to him, the being never once showed anger upon his face. He did not react, he did not care, and he brushed it all off as if nothing was worth his presence.

But most of all, Grimmjow hated being called _trash_.

Even with this rivalry, he actually found someone else even more infuriating than Ulquiorra. He was feiry, hot-headed, loud, and annoying, and Grimmjow _hated_ him.

And yet ... He felt like something was familiar about the stupid human. He couldn't tell what it was but the feeling nagged at the back of his mind, tugging at his thoughts and directing all of his attention towards the images that kept eluding him.

Their first 'real' encounter occurred in a place called Karakura, a town that Grimmjow couldn't care less about. The orange-haired kid had passion, wanting to win. The feral being, used to countless battles, absolutely adored the fight. He had much fun until he heard the cries of his teammates, no, his friends, dying. Their sounds - _help me, __**Grimmjow**__, I'm sorry, forgive me_ - all engraved themselves within his mind.

That night, for the first time since he had died, Grimmjow had nightmares.

* * *

Can't say I'm a fan of this one. I don't really like the direction it took I guess. Aaaanyways, yes, there will be dialogue eventually, but my goal is to tell this through the eyes and thoughts of Grimmjow, not in a story format with dialogue and character interactions. It's a writing style that I've been wanting to try for a long time now. Hope you enjoyed!


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